Jul 12, 2009

[Philippines] Lola Techie


Funny Grandma Lola Techie Uses Internet


Pardon the lack of subtitles for non-Filipino Geeky Guide readers.

I all started with that video. At first it seemed like yet another weird viral video feature - well, up until you see the Bayantel DSL logo at the end and the statement of how much their DSL service is. And that's probably the brilliance - the concept of a grandmother who is internet-savvy is a novel concept, but not one that's too far-fetched. It's not even a new concept - there have been countless jokes and parodies about elderly people being proficient with the internet and high technology, but this one as executed so well.

Viral marketing isn't all that new even in the Philippines, but this is probably one of the most successful and most interactive campaigns ever. While I can't determine if this advertising campaign has actually resulted in significant sign-ups for Bayantel's residential DSL service, I can talk about just how popular "Lola Techie" has become and what a great branding campaign this has become for Bayantel.

She's not only active on YouTube in order to release her new videos, but she's also on other social networking services like Twitter, Plurk, Multiply and naturally Facebook. Yes, she will add you as a friend and you can play games like Mafia Wars together. Of course she has her own website at http://www.lolatechie.com/ (which is really just a redirect URL), which acts as the central hub of the marketing efforts and naturally where you can sign up for their services as well.

It's such a simple concept yet so well-executed and I can see Bayantel pushing this campaign indefinitely. Lola Techie has pretty much become the new spokesperson for their brand and a pretty effective one, one that really triggers name recall and brand awareness. Plus she's a heck of a lot of fun too. Even though we all know she's not a real person, the people behind her certainly make it feel that she is real and someone we'd all wish to have in our families. Who wouldn't want a high-tech granny who can troubleshoot your net connection issues, right?

I'll leave you all with her second YouTube video, thankfully one with subtitles this time. Just wait for the flash bang grenades, haha. Enjoy!


Funny Grandma Lola Techie Plays Online Game

1 comment:

  1. I dunno why, but the video is even more awesome with the inclusion of subtitles. :)

    ReplyDelete